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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: object · ground · patient · spell · bank · perch · chest · arm

  1. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. object — to protest
  5. spell — letters
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. chest — a box
  8. perch — the fish
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — magic
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. ground — the earth
  13. chest — of your body
  14. object — a thing
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. object — an aim
  17. chest — of your body
  18. bank — of a river
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ground — crushed
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. ground — a position
  23. bank — for money
  24. spell — a short time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com